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is the author of this poem 12 or 1, as is argued from the last verse of the poem which refers to मुंजवयणं which is the og. variant of मंजुवयण.13 The question of authorship of this very popular Phāgu-poem is shrouded in mystery, though the chances are more favourable for its being of non-Jaina origin.
The anthology-value of the poem is equally important. All the Sk. and Pk. stanzas are the gatigas from the eminent Sk. and Pk. poets. It appears that the writer has first constructed an anthology on the basis of which he constructed Og. stanzas. Wherever he did not find it 'suitable for the sake of the coherence of the poem, the construction of the Og, stanza to follow Sk. or Pk. verse, he left the alternating Sk. or Pk. verse as it was and constructed an independent Og. stanza. Thus the Og, poem in some of its stanzas follows the Sk. and Pk, verses in purport while some of its Og. stanzas are independent of Sk. or Pk. verses. The Og. poem, independently, has an organic harmony and at the same time owes its inspiration to the anthology purposefully prepared by the author. Much work has been done by Dhruva and later by Prof. Vyāsa in tracing these Sk. and Pk. verses to their origins. 14 'I have preserved the Ms. order of the Og, stanzas and Sk. and Pki verses as it is organically so intended. In some of the Mss. they are serially numbered, 15 To assess the anthological value of these verses is a subject by itself. 12. Forbes Gujarati Traimāsika; Vol. I. IV. P. 433. (January-March
1937 A. D.) cf. K. B. Vyāsa y. V. Intro. P. XXVI. 13. For example see P. T. P. 28; a reading-note on 48. It is without
doubt that Sk. line 451 gFa Fyga: l'is correct; in Ms. 17. it is written as मुंजगुंजनमधुव्रताः; so also in घ. मुंजगुंजनमधुव्रताः. This shows that scribes wrote is for pot cf. the view of Acārya Sri Jinavijayajī: K. B. Vyāsa; V. V. (Tripathi Ed.) Foreword : "I would rather
suggest that the word js in 99210 in the same stanza perhaps · indicates the author's name.” This view is obviously doubtful. 14. See Dhruva : sretagsipilot : Appendix P. 145-158; K. B. Vyāsa ;
V. V. (Tripathi Ed.) Appendix II. P. 55-65; also. K. B. Vyāsa;
V. V. Phāgu-A Further study. P. 128 ff. Section VII. 15. For example, the Sk. verses and Og. verses are : serially. numbered
in the aiyaraar Ms. & Ms. writes giving the same no..to Sk. & Og. verses. 7. Ms. gives continuous. enumeration of Sk. & Og, verses. This points out that the text bears a formal continuity.